Black River Killer

Lyrics

[Verse 1] It was just a little while past the Sunset Strip They found the girl's body in an open pit Her mouth was sewn shut, but her eyes were still wide Gazin' through the fog to the other side They booked me on a whim and threw me deep in jail With no bail, sitting silent on a rusty pail Just gazin' at the marks on the opposite wall Rememberin' the music of my lover's call, yeah [Bridge] So, you make no mistake, I know just what it takes To pull a man's soul back from Heaven's gates I've been wanderin' in the dark about as long as sin But they say it's never too late to start again [Chorus] Oh when, oh when Will the spirit come a-callin' 'fore my soul descend? Oh when, oh when Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again? [Verse 2] It was dark as the grave, it was just about three When the warden with his key came to set me free They gave me five dollars and a secondhand suit A pistol and a hat and a worn-out flute So I took the bus down to the Rio Grande And I shot a man down on the edge of town Then I stole me a horse, and I rode it around 'Til the sheriff pulled me in and sat me down He said, "You make no mistake, I know just what it takes To pull a man's soul back from Heaven's gates I've been wanderin' in the dark about as long as sin But they say it's never too late to start again" [Chorus] Oh when, oh when Will the spirit come a-callin' 'fore my soul descend? Oh when, oh when Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again? [Verse 3] Well, the sheriff let me go with a knife and a song So I took the first train up to Oregon And I killed the first man that I came upon 'Cause the Devil works quick—you know it don't take long Then I went to the river for to take a swim You know that Black River water, it's as black as sin And I washed myself clean as a newborn babe Then I picked up a rock for to sharpen my blade [Chorus] Oh when, oh when Will the spirit come a-callin' for my soul descend? Oh when, oh when Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again? Oh when, oh when Well, that Black River water washed me clean again Oh when, oh when Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?